Canada Day bash

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Thu, Jun 27, 2013 - Page 12

People of all nationalities are invited to join Canadians for a summer party in Taipei this weekend to celebrate the country’s national day, which falls on July 1st, this Saturday at the Hakka Cultural Park. The venue is a short walk from Exit 5 of the Taipei Metro Taipower Building Station (台電大樓捷運站), and festivities begin at 1pm.

Organizers said they are expecting a bigger crowd than ever before for the day-long music and entertainment revelry. The event is packed with food and drink, fun activities and prizes. And it’s all free.

The friendly folks at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) are issuing the invitation to local residents and the international community.

And for Taiwanese, there is one very special reason to come party and have a good time with Canuck friends: Wang Chien-ming (王建民), a local media darling and the Pride of Taiwan (台灣之光), is now in the Great White North.

Wang, a starter on Blue Jays’ regular pitching rotation, has done well in his game outings since he was picked up by the Canadian MLB club. As Wang helps the Blue Jays to a winning streak and challenges the AL East leaders, Taiwanese sports fans and media follow the Toronto team on a daily basis.

The groups lined up for live performances include Taiwanese and Canadian bands — American Muffin, Aurora-Jiguang, The Ever So Friendlies, Beaver Syrup and Matzka.

There is also sample tasting of Canadian beef and soybean milk made from Canadian soybeans. Fireworks will wrap up the evening.

For kids, there are fun activities and cultural events all day long. Organizers said there will be a bouncy castle, cotton candy, face-painting, hockey games and free giveaways for children.

Thanks to corporate sponsors, the prize giveaways include round-trip airplane tickets to Canada, accommodation for the Regent Taipei and coupons for Palais de Chine Hotel’s Canadian lobsterfest.